Can i refuse to be weighed at the doctor

You have a right to take your own stance, and we hear that you have clarity around your limits. We also hope you can respect that there are physicians who have absolute comfort in not weighing their patients, and patients for whom the experience can be far more destructive than helpful to their physical and emotional wellbeing. Health care providers are a commonly cited source of weight bias and stigma. Shame is not correlated with improved health or self-care.

When the evidence that weight is a risk factor is incomplete and contradictory at best, and there is currently no evidence based treatment for high body weight with data showing long-term maintenance of weight years out , it is time for a new conversation about health and a more compassionate treatment model.

Thank you so much for this. I am not letting her win this time, as I have proof now of something I always knew in my heart…. Really nice, huh? Anyway, I found that giving up the scale was scary but liberating, and have been functioning really well while focusing on my eating and exercise habits. At 52, I know I weigh more than I did in my 20s. But according to the numbers I saw on my patient summary today, I would be classified as clinically obese if they are correct.

Is it possible the scale was wrong or that I misread the numbers? I have avoided seeing my primary doctor because of mandatory weigh ins, but now my doctor will not let me refill my prescriptions which are not expired unless I go in an see her and that means I have to be weighed in!

I am so upset, I am being forced to be weighed in so I can get my refills on my medications. The whole experience makes me very sick. I end up having a panic attack. I have always stressed over my weight and starved myself. I have had issues with my weight for years. As a child I was bullied and would starve myself so being weighed is a big deal for me. I am going to refuse to be weighed in. I find it sad that I even have to argue with them over this , you would think they wouldnt bicker with me and have more compassion.

I want to thank you for helping me decline being weighed for the first time after years of stress postponing and avoiding seeking care when needed. How freeing and what a relief! I am in my fiftys and my issues with the scale started hen I was fourteen years old. I was eating disordered and dieted and exercised obsessively.

I weighed myself at least daily and throwing out the scale was a big part of my recovery. I am normal weight,I learned to maintain a healthy weight. I was a runner and competed in marathons,triathlon ,rowed crew and lots of other sports. I worked in the fitness industry for 25 years. None of this helped me step on that scale without extreme aniety,fear and loss of control.

As a personal trainer I have always been sensitive to doing only testing and evaluation that will be positive ,meaningful and motivational for the individual stressing that it their appointment and always their choice! Again thanks for giving me the courage and hopefully now I will take better care of myself. Not just self care ,but medical care when I need it. I was shocked. I thought even without getting weighed they are supposed to see you. Can you suggest a simple sentence I can say when I refuse to be weighed?

Thank you. There are other, more meaningful ways for you to assess my health. If after seeing the doctor it is needed to dose a medication or something, I will consider it. The office manager would not allow me to see the doctor unless I was weighed. I refused nicely and asked for documents that referred to this requirement and I further told him I had never run into this before, moreover that no office had ever insisted, But he insisted and did not have any information readily available.

I was being pressured, but I could not do anything about it. I did not want to leave there with a broken ankle. So I submitted to be weighed.

When I did get to see the doctor he did tell me I had a tear and put me in a brace. When I left the office the same office manager came over and handed me a piece of paper from CMS that outlined office procedures for Medicare but I saw nothing mandatory on there about weight, just a suggestion about how to proceed. I am still ill from being forced to be weighed against my will. I twisted my angle while walking and just wanted to know if it was alright.

Now I do not want to go back to that office and I am on the hunt for another doctor who might treat my ankle, whose staff is not so disrespectful forceful. I just came from my initial visit with my primary care provider.

I waited 6 months for the appointment. I declined to be weighed by the medical assistant taking my vitals prior to meeting with the PCP. She said she understood completely and had left a doctor visit once because of the same issue. This was a physical exam. I told her I keep track of my weight and that if their was a sudden loss or gain I would that I did not understand I would consult with her.

I also said I have been heavy since childhood and now at age 57 I have decided not to subject myself to weigh ins that are not medically necessary. How would you approach this? They could also add a note to show they explained what to do in case of unexpected weight changes. With some changes due to the Affordable Care Act, we think a lot of clinics are confused about what they can and cannot do. We are still sorting out some of the details ourselves as we work on a Bill of Rights about weighing.

And even if you weigh backwards, patients often see the number on the after visit summary, and if, for instance, they are in recovery from an eating disorder, seeing their weight could disrupt months, if not years, of progress and trigger a relapse. The bottom line is you deserve compassionate care and you get to have a choice about medical interventions.

We would encourage you to consider writing a letter to explain your frustrations and provide them with feedback. It is the only way to get them to re-think their policies and how they affect their ability to provide ethical care to the people they serve. My colleague, Dr. Rachel Sterry, who co-wrote this article with me, also wanted to share her thoughts to your question:. I second all that has been said and I would only add that the primary oath of a physician is to the patient and optimizing their health and wellness with the least amount of harm possible, not to an insurance company, or any other entity.

It is absolutely within a patients rights to refuse to be weighed, or to refuse any treatment options offered and the doctor need only chart that the information was reviewed and the patient made an informed decision. There are many doctors out there who would be more than happy to conduct a yearly physical without the weigh in and I am so sorry that you was exposed to such an unkind healthcare provider. Can you please send me a list??

Thank you for reaching out. With PCOS, I also find it helpful as my weight tends to fluctuate a great deal and rapid gains or losses together with other symptoms gives me a sense of how dysregulated my body is doing.

Unless there is a specific medical necessity for a weight to be known, refusing to be weighed can often be health-promoting—because if knowing your weight causes unnecessary shame and fear, triggers food restriction or over-exercising, and increases food and body preoccupation, then being weighed is NOT health promoting. Your weight does not determine your health. Something missing from the list?

A post shared by Dr. A medical professional does not have to weigh me to know that I am fat. This is because they have eyeballs and can see me.

Until they stop with this bullshit, we have the option to refuse weigh-ins. I have found it effective to just say "no thanks" and keep on walking. If they push you can say something like "If we find that knowing my weight is actually necessary then I'll be willing to discuss it, otherwise let's move on. You can also agree to step on the scale facing away, but that won't guarantee that they won't bring it up, or print it on paperwork that you'll eventually see.

You can also call ahead, let them know that for your psychological wellbeing you cannot be weighed in, and ask them to make a note of it, then remind them of it at check-in. Taking someone with you can also be helpful. They can help advocate for you, and HCPs tend to behave more appropriately This sucks, it should not happen, we should not have to strategize just to go to the damn doctor — and the difficulty is compounded by additional oppression due to things like racism, health issues like anxiety, depression, chronic illness and more.

Our medical system is currently rife with fatphobia and that's not our fault but it becomes our problem, so it can help to think about our options.

It has never been my experience that standing in the way of a healthcare provider having a concrete number has saved me from a diagnosis or a lecture. I have been diagnosed with hypertension without having my blood pressure actually taken. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea without a sleep study or any evidence because I mentioned casually that sometimes I snore. Well, yes. They can. But it does absolutely nothing for me. We need seismic, systemic change in the healthcare system in order to access better care.

Doctors have often accused me of lying. When I had gallstones for nine miserable months, my doctor failed to catch it and accused me of lying about my symptoms and nearly fired me as a patient. When I have told a doctor that I did something they asked me to do but it did not produce their desired result, it is assumed I am lying and was not actually compliant. Before I open my mouth at an appointment, I am perceived as difficult. Anything I do to advocate for myself is further evidence of my noncompliance.

So, for me, medical appointments are an uphill battle. I walk through the door at a disadvantage. I just want access to competent medical care. I have to save my energy to fight for things that are important to my care. Declining to be weighed is not a meaningful stand for me to take. I see no tangible personal benefit from declining to be weighed.

And, in fact, it could prove harmful to me by setting the tone for my appointment with me defiantly refusing to be weighed, or being weird and handing the nurse doing my intake a little card I printed from the internet informing them that I would like to decline being weighed. Yes, these actually exist. Even if it is not directly applicable to your appointment!

Having a weight history can be a helpful thing. That way, if there is a rapid gain or loss, which can indicate a health issue, your doctor can catch it and investigate.

So, perhaps it is not worthwhile for you to be weighed at the dermatologist or at urgent care for a standard issue cold. But at your annual physical? That makes sense. At a visit for an undetermined health issue?

That also makes sense. At urgent care for the flu? Before surgery? Does it mean you should be forced to step on the scale? Of course not! If you would like to decline stepping on the scale, you can and should. But there are actually good reasons to be weighed. Having a weight history can be helpful, because rapid loss or gain can be an early warning signal that something is wrong. But we happily submit to this most of the time, because we are not culturally triggered to be alarmed and saddened by high temperatures on the thermometer like we are high numbers on the scale, and also because temperature like blood pressure, like weight changes can be an early warning sign that something is wrong.

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